Pull tab tickets according to the prior art are used for gaming and entertainment. In the usual fashion, a merchant buys an inventory of tickets and retains them in a jar or other container. Patrons buy the tickets and open them to reveal the outcome for the ticket. The outcome may be a combination of symbols, e.g. cherries, 7's or "bar" symbols of the type found in slot machines. The outcome may also be a number or series of numbers. For the game to which the tickets pertain there is a pay schedule for the outcomes, i.e. two cherries win five dollars, or winning numbers are posted. If the outcome of the ticket matches a winning outcome, the establishment pays the player the indicated amount. If the outcome is a losing outcome, the ticket is a loser and the purchaser receives no prize. The schedule of prizes or awards is designed, for the number of tickets printed and sold for the game, to provide the establishment with a profit.
The individual tickets are fashioned from paper and are rectangular. A portion of the ticket is printed with the outcome (or number). To conceal the outcome portion of the ticket, that portion is folded over on itself to form a folded bundle. The bundle is then secured by a burstable band. When the ticket is purchased, the band is bursted and the bundle unfolded to reveal the outcome. The portion of the ticket extending from the bundle, may be printed with serial numbers or other material to identify the ticket and the game.
As can be appreciated, it is important to conceal the outcome prior to the purchase of the ticket.
Some types of tickets may arrange several tickets together, fold-bundle them and, with a single band, secure the bundle. When the band is bursted, the tickets are unfolded to reveal multiple outcomes. "Tickets" will hereinafter be used to refer to either single or multiple outcome tickets.
Aside for the issue of security, it can further be appreciated that retaining the tickets in a jar or container can subject them to theft. Stolen tickets represent a loss or revenues for the game to the establishment. There is a need for a device which can prevent theft.
A further consideration is that in some jurisdictions where pull tab tickets are legal require the establishment to offer tickets for two different games. These games may, for example, offer different prizes. Thus the need for security is heightened by the need to secure two sets of tickets prior to sale.
There is also a need for a device which can automatically accept payment for a ticket and dispense a ticket without the intervention of establishment employees. Again, when tickets are sold but the payment is not remitted to the establishment, i.e. the establishment employee pockets the money, the establishment loses profit related to the game. Further, employees attend to their normal duties without having to sell tickets and collect the money therefor.
A need exist for a device which can automatically dispense pull tab tickets, which can dispense several different types of such articles such as different game pull tab tickets, different debit cards, lottery tickets or a combination thereof, which provides for security and a pull tab ticket adapted to be so dispensed. There is also a need for a device which can keep a running tally of money received, tickets sold and the like.